Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

of a couple of schoolyard punch-ons. Throw fast and hard, that was his plan. Jake had seen a million of these fights before. To a seasoned kickboxer, they were child ’ s play.
    He swung both elbows up and smashed the incoming punch away. The guy hesitated for a beat, stunned at his speed. It was all Jake needed. He leapt forwards and drove a fist hard into the guy ’ s stomach. It drove all the wind from his lungs. He doubled over, wheezing and coughing.
    Adrian was already sprinting to help his friend. He also swung a hard fist, straight at Jake ’ s face. It was actually going to make contact. Adrenaline kicked in and heightened Jake ’ s senses. He reached out and caught the fist in mid-air. Adrian was in a frenzy though, and attempted a punch with the opposite arm. Jake lashed out with his foot and caught Adrian in the ribs. The punch fell short and Adrian fell back, groaning in pain.
    Jake released his grip and stepped around the hunching figure, heading back to the path. On his way past, Adrian jumped up and punched him in the face. The blow caught him off-guard. He hadn ’ t had time to block it. There was a substantial amount of force behind it, but Jake had been kickboxing for eight years. He took harder hits every training session. It barely fazed him.
    In a split second he reacted, throwing a right-handed hook so fast Adrian didn ’ t even have time to raise his arms. His knuckles slammed against bone. It was a perfectly placed hit and it almost knocked the bully unconscious.
    Jake sprung forwards, enraged, and grabbed two handfuls of his shirt.
    “ You shouldn ’ t do this to every kid you think you ’ re tougher than. ”
    The headbutt landed squarely in the centre of Adrian ’ s nose. Jake felt his forehead slam against cartilage, at the same time letting go of his shirt. There was a brutal crack and Adrian went limp. He fell to the ground, sporting a broken nose and a bloody mouth.
    Jake stood there, panting with rage. The reality of what he had just done was dawning on him. The guy with the fringe had already picked himself up off the ground. He saw Adrian lying semi-conscious on the concrete, thought better of trying his luck again and abruptly ran off. Jake watched him go, his gut sinking lower and lower with each step the kid took.
    Now, he was completely screwed.
     

 
    *
     
    The rest of the day seemed to pass in slow motion. Jake spent the last two periods in anxiety, twitching in his seat as the minutes ticked away. At any moment, he expected the door to burst open and either the principal or his dad to come storming in.
    When the final bell rang, the tension in his stomach unwound a little. For the moment, he was safe. Tonight, he could go anywhere. He had another day to think things through.
    “ Jake? ” a voice said.
    He looked up. The classroom was empty. Everyone had shuffled out while he had been staring into space. The teacher lingered by the door, waiting for him to move with a concerned look on his face.
    “ Sorry, sir, ” Jake said.
    He bustled out of the room and into the corridors, making sure to keep his head low. Anyone could be searching for him right now. He wanted to avoid a confrontation at all costs.
    The locker bay was a hive of activity. Almost a thousand students pushed past each other in an attempt to leave school the earliest. Jake savoured the chaos. There wasn ’ t much chance of getting spotted in here.
    He grabbed his backpack from his locker and slung it over one shoulder. As he did, he took a glance at the schoolbooks inside. Was it worth taking them home? Even if he fixed things with his dad, it was almost guaranteed he would be expelled because of what he did to Adrian. He was in a lose-lose situation. He slammed the locker door in frustration and headed off.
    Kickboxing training began in an hour. Jake had been pondering whether to go or not all day, but decided he might as well. Mark didn ’ t even know he took part in kickboxing lessons. Even if Jake